Tankart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Tankart was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the ancient Norman given name Tancred. The Tanksley variant is indeed rare. However, this name traces its origin to Roger Tankerlayman who was listed in Yorkshire in 1387. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)

Tankersley is a parish, in the union of Wortley, wapentake of Staincross, in the West Riding of Yorkshire[2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. and dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Tancresleia. [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) Literally the place name means "woodland clearing of a man called Thancred," from the Old English personal name + "leah." [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)

Early Origins of the Tankart family

The surname Tankart was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Boroughbridge in that shire. They were descended from Tancred, son of the Good Marqis, who governed the principality of Antioch as Guardian of the Emperor Bohemond II. Tancred, whose barony was in Normandy in 912 A.D. was also the sire of the celebrated Tankervilles. Whixley in the West Riding of Yorkshire was home to one branch of the family.

"The living [of Whixley] is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at £7. 17. 1.; net income, £68; patrons and impropriators, the Governors of the Tancred charities. Christopher Tancred, Esq., whose family were long seated at the Hall, at his death in 1754, left his house to be converted into an hospital for twelve decayed gentlemen, and endowed it with estates which, in 1815, were let for £2480 per annum." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Early History of the Tankart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tankart research.Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1187, 1663, 1703, 1665, 1744, 1759, 1689, 1754, 1685 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Tankart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tankart Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Tancred, Tancard, Tancert, Tancrette, Tankard and many more.

Early Notables of the Tankart family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Tancred, 1st Baronet (d. 1663), descendant of Richard Tankard, who owned lands at Boroughbridge in Yorkshire; Sir William Tancred, 2nd Baronet (d. 1703); Sir Thomas Tancred, 3rd Baronet (1665-1744); and Sir Thomas Tancred, 4th Baronet (d. 1759).
Christopher Tancred (1689-1754), was an... Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tankart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tankart family to Ireland

Some of the Tankart family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tankart family to the New World and Oceana

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Tankart name or one of its variants: Walter Tankard arrived in Virginia in 1716; William Tankard settled in Virginia in 1606; 14 years before the "Mayflower"; William Tankard settled in Maryland in 1774..